palate

Shin-sen-gumi Shabu Shabu

   

I love shabu shabu!

Il Moro

Wilsons

Phoreign

I have LOW expectations when it comes to Vietnamese restaurants in the Westside especially since we regularly frequent San Gabriel just to eat Pho and and other Vietnamese dishes. (Too far to drive to Bolsa). We tried Phoreign one night when the hubby and I were both feeling under the weather. First, it can be viewed as either positive/negative since Phoreign is located in one of the Sawtelle food plazas. Positive - 1) If someone is curious, they will try the restaurant. 2) You're desperate for Pho. Negative - 1) Parking is horrible!!!

The outside of the restaurant has a display of some of the food that the restaurant offers in their menu. When you first walk in, there are about 2-3 tables to your immediate left and several tables for 2 on the left hand side of the restaurant. There's also counter sitting infront of the kitchen where you can see the chefs at work. Phoreign uses an "open kitchen" concept considering the small space.

The menu is not as an extensive in comparison to other Vietnamese restaurants. There's pho, rice dishes, spring rolls and dessert to name a few. The hubby and I decided to order their pho (standard test for Vietnamese restaurants in my opinion), a spring roll and 2 Diet Cokes. When our order came, the presentation of my Pho was pretty nice. Now comes the taste test.

In my opinion, it's like a "healthy pho". The soup base is not beefy enough. The ratio of the noodles and beef just seems "enough". As far as the other menu, they have several dishes using tofu... hhhnmmm. The spring roll we ordered was just average.

Service is average depending on what time of the day you visit the restaurant. At the time we went, there were only a few patrons.

Cost is reasonable. I guess I can't really compare it to the prices of other Vietnamese restaurants in San Gabriel Valley.

Overall, it's an alternative if you are craving Pho or Vietnamese food. I only hope that they improve their menu. Since Phoreign has the same owner as Blue Marlin, it's surprising to me that it's not as good as Blue Marlin since it's one of the places we regularly frequest at Sawtelle.

Phoreign

2123 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025

Telephone: 310-477-4885

Steak Dinner

On a typical night, I'll try to whip up a quick dinner for me and the hubby. We're not strictly following a low carb / high protein diet but we're certainly trying to eat healthier. I cooked one rib eye for both of us and salad and cornbread I got from Whole foods.